In 1807, the Treaties of Tilsit were signed, and Napoleon's dominion over Europe seemed secure. With Britain isolated, and the three great powers of Prussia, Austria and Russia cowed, the French Empire had reached a new pinnacle of power.

Over the next two years, the system established at Tilsit comprehensively failed. Napoleon's ambitions in the Iberian Peninsula led to the start of a war that was to cost his empire dearly. His alliance with the Russian Tsar, Alexander, began to falter. And Austria looked to challenged French expansionism for one final time.

This video is the first in a series intending to chart a diplomatic history of Europe in the nineteenth century.

0:00 Introduction
1:04 Britannia Contra Mundum
7:00 Alexander & Caesar
15:55 The Origins of an Ulcer
26:31 The View from Vienna
32:57 The Fifth Coalition
35:49 Conclusion

#Europe, #Napoleon, #BritishEmpire